Fall of the Successor
by mindovermadness
Summary: Voldemort is gone. The Wizarding world is safe....RIGHT? What happens when a legend turns out to be reality and the only one who can stop history from repeating itself is Harry Potter's daughter? Rated high just to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**The Fall of the Successor**

Chapter 1 Homecoming

It was over, training at least, and she was finally going home. Home… Just the thought of seeing her family and friends again put a smile on her face. Yes, Captain Lilian Potter was going home.

It had been four and a half years since she had hugged her family goodbye and Apparated to Fort Hell, as her training class had so lovingly named it. She hurried and finished packing her things. She was not about to waste one minute of the month she had with her family before she left on her first assignment. With the last of her belongings packed, she put a Locomotor Charm on her trunk and walked out of her tent for the last time. Her fellow trainees called out to her and waved their goodbyes. She answered them all with a smile on her face.

At the Apparation point she saluted her trainer, Major Ghost. "You don't really want to leave, Blue, now do you?" he asked as he returned the salute and handed her the travel authorizations and briefing material for her upcoming assignment, then pointed his wand at her trunk and sent it on ahead to wait for her at Arrivals.

"No offence, Major Ghost, but if I never had to see your ugly mug again it would be too soon," she answered with a smile. Major Ghost was a short man, only 5'2" in his boots, and had a drooping, hound dog face. He had told his training class on their very first day, "By the time you leave here you'll be so sick of my ugly mug you'll want to hurl," and with that he had launched into a speech about the importance of why they were there and his expectations.

"No offence taken, Blue. You be good while you're home, you understand?"

"I wouldn't dream of being anything else," she said, adding her famous fallen angel smile. "It's my brothers you should worry about." She saluted him again, turned on her heel, and vanished. It was close to midnight when she arrived at the London headquarters and the place was almost deserted. A tired-looking old woman dressed in a black uniform was sitting at the Arrivals counter.

"Name?" the old woman asked when Lily reached the counter.

"Captain Potter, Lilian Amelia."

"Travel authorizations?" Lily handed her a sheet of green parchment. "Everything seems to be in order. Sign here," said the woman, pointing to an empty line on the clipboard in front of her. When Lily had signed her name, the woman smiled, pointed her wand at a trunk, which then moved over to sit at Lily's feet, and said, "Welcome home, Captain." Lily couldn't help but smile.

She thanked the woman, used a Shrinking Charm on her trunk so that it fit in her pocket, and walked out into the crisp December air. She checked her watch. It was Christmas Day and her family would be excited to see her. She had been allowed to write home about a month ago to inform her family of her arrival. Now, as she reached Grimmauld Place with its thick dusting of fresh snow, she stopped and thought back over everything that had happened since she left Hogwarts for the last time.

…

_1 June 2022_

_Merlin! Mum is going to kill me!_ It was all she could think about. At seventeen, Lily was, as her family had always joked, a collage of people she loved. She'd gotten her Uncle Ronald's height, her mother's long strawberry locks and willowy figure, her father's eyes and Quidditch skills, her Aunt Hermione's brains, and her knack for mischief from her uncles, Fred and George. She thought there might be something in there from her uncles, Bill and Charlie, but figured her four brothers had gotten to whatever it was first and left none for her.

Her family didn't talk about Uncle Percy very often. It was still a sore subject even all these years after the Great War had ended. Right now, she had more important things on her mind than genetics.

Returning home from her final year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, she knew her mother would be positively furious that her youngest child and only daughter had not only accepted a job, but with the Ministry of Magic no less. Plus, she would be living in the US for at least the first two years while she went through training. She could almost picture the scene that would unfold when she told her family.

Her father could go one of two ways. He could sulk and be quietly angry or, he could tell her congratulations, wish her the best of luck, and be quietly angry. Either way, he would be mad. He **hated** the Ministry.

Her Aunt Hermione would be slightly miffed that she hadn't taken the job of, as Lily called it, 'resident bookworm', at the Quin Friary, which housed one of the Wizarding world's largest collections of books and was one of the few remaining places where people could come from all over the world and study. It certainly wasn't her fault she got perfect scores in EVERY subject, now was it? Nor was it her fault that she hated looking like a know-it-all and therefore refused to become one of their resident experts.

Uncle Ron would probably have her committed at St. Mungo's because she had turned down the position of Seeker for the Holyhead Harpies Quidditch Team. In the area of Quidditch, she had followed in her father's footsteps. She was only the second person to join a house team in their first year in over a century and had played as Seeker, though she was skilled at the other positions as well. She was sure her uncle would say that only someone who was mental would pass up an opportunity like this. The reaction she dreaded the most, however, was her mother's.

Standing at only 5'7", Ginevra Potter was a dwarf compared to her children, but if you got her really mad she made a dragon look like a Pygmy Puff. She could even hear her mother's roar now. _"LILIAN AMELIA POTTER, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? HOW COULD YOU EVEN CONSIDER WORKING FOR THE MINISTRY, ESPECIALLY AFTER WHAT THEY HAVE PUT THIS FAMILY THROUGH? ON TOP OF THAT, YOU GO FOR ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS JOBS KNOWN TO WIZARD KIND. I THOUGHT I RAISED YOU BETTER THAN THAT!" _At this point her Dad would gather her Mum close and try to comfort her while she cried.

Now, looking out the window of the Hogwarts Express for the last time, she resigned herself to telling her family about her decision tomorrow. Tonight was for celebrating. The youngest child had graduated.

"Lily?" asked the boy sitting across from her. She snapped out of her musings to find her two best friends staring at her. One was a freckle-faced boy of seventeen with the unmistakable Weasley shock of red hair. This was Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron's youngest son. They had been born within minutes of each other and had been thick as thieves their whole lives. The third occupant of the compartment was a brown haired boy the same age and height as his two best friends. Andrew Dukes had come into their lives on that first train ride to Hogwarts. And they had all become instant friends. Around school they had been referred to as 'the trio' by students and teachers alike because they were always together. Now as this last train ride came to an end, they would each begin a new chapter in their lives. While they would still be friends forever, they would be miles apart. The farthest they had ever been from each other since the very beginning.

"Yes, Clayton?" she replied to her cousin. "You know everyone's going to be mad when you tell them right?"

"Yeah, I know. That's why I'm going to wait until tomorrow when everything settles down to tell Mum and Dad. I'll tell the others once I get Mum and Dad to understand the reason I chose what I did. Don't worry; it won't interfere with tonight's festivities. You'll still get to gorge on Gram's five star cooking."

"I appreciate that," he said with a grin, "but I was just going to make sure you know that I support you two-hundred percent."

"If you need any help talking to your folks, let me know," said Andrew. "I could come over for moral support."

"Thanks both of you, but I need to do this on my own. There will actually come a day when you can't fight my battles with me, so I guess I'd better get started on fighting them by myself." They sat in the silence for a moment thinking back over the battles they'd fought during their time at Hogwarts.

"Do you remember that first train ride?" Lily asked with a grin.

"I'll never forget it. The three of us were minding our own business, in this very compartment I do believe, and that group of second year Slytherins started bothering us because of who your parents were," said Andrew.

"And all three of us casting the exact same jinx at the exact same time, taking them all out in one shot," added Clayton as he started to laugh.

"Those were the days. We were so carefree and innocent. And to think that they told Professor McGonagall that we attacked them! Why the nerve of it all. How can three first years take down seven second years? It's positively absurd," added Lily.

"And when McGonagall called us into her office…," Clayton broke off laughing.

"And said that we should at least _try_ and behave…," now Andrew was laughing.

"But that she highly doubted we could, seeing as the majority of our 'little trio' were the 'spawn and blood relations of some of Hogwarts' finest mischief makers'," Lily finished with a proud smile. "Lucky for us, we earned more points than we actually lost. Thank Merlin they didn't catch us wreaking even half the 'mischief' we got into. No doubt they would have expelled all three of us that first month."

"We made Uncle Fred and Uncle George look like choir boys," said Clay. "And in return, your uncles have given us a never ending supply of pranks and whatnot," said Andrew. "Blimey! I gonna miss that place."

"We all are," said Clay. Lily looked out the window again.

"We'll be arriving in a couple of minutes," she said without looking away. "Well, at least we get two weeks before we leave for training," said Andrew breaking the silence.

"Only two, eh? Well I guess that means goofing off all summer is out," said Clay dejectedly.

"They just sent the letters this morning at breakfast, Clay. I didn't want to think about only having two weeks before I have to leave for two whole years. I would have told you otherwise," said Lily. What she didn't say was that at the end of those two years she might have two more years for the advanced program if she was accepted.

"And it's not as if we can't write to you, Clay," added Andrew

"Actually, I won't be able to," said Lily as she looked at her hands which were folded in her lap.

"WHAT!?" Clayton and Andrew were shocked. They couldn't believe that they were hearing this.

"Because of everything that happened last year, I'm going into a specialized program and one of their guidelines is no outside contact due to how difficult it is. I won't even have you to talk to, Andrew. I just found out right before we left school. That's why I almost missed the train."

"I thought you were saying goodbye to Aaron and that that was why you were late," said Clay.

"Do not mention that name in my presence again," Lily said in a threatening voice.

"But I thought…" Whatever he thought went unsaid when Andrew elbowed him in the ribs. He gestured for Clay to look at Lily. She had gone white as a sheet and her eyes were glowing red, which meant one wrong move and you were a dead man.

"I didn't mean to upset you Lily, honest," said Clay.

"Just drop it, okay? We're here." Sure enough, the train was pulling into Kings Cross Station. The group exchanged one last hug, collected their things, and went to meet their families. Lily and Clay had no more than stepped off the train when they heard a familiar voice in the crowd.

"Oy! They're over here. Hurry up you lot!" A tall man who could pass as an older version of Clayton was making his way towards them.

"Good to see you too, Uncle Ron," said Lily with a smile as she hugged her uncle. Ron Weasley hadn't changed much over the years. The only sign of age was the gray in his hair and the laugh lines that looked as though they had been chiseled into his face.

"Hey, what about me, Dad?"

"What about you, boy o' mine? Why should I waste time on you when I can hug this beauty right here," Ron asked then grabbed his son up in a bear hug. Just then, a small army of people descended on the pair with hugs and kisses, "Welcome Home" and "We missed you."

"Time to go everyone," shouted a tall man with black hair and a lightening bolt shaped scare on his forehead. "We're being expected and it's best not to keep our hosts waiting."

The family began to make its way out of Platform 9 and ¾ and the train station and into their cars to head for the Burrow.

…

The party was held in true Weasley fashion. The house was overflowing with people, there was enough food for all of Hogwarts to gorge themselves for a week, enough noise to wake the dead, and Fred and George had brought fireworks which they set off over the pond.

Today they celebrated to honor another generation of Hogwarts graduates… all nine of them.

When the party began to wind down about 2 A.M., Molly Weasley, the family matriarch, took up a spot at the door so she could kiss every one goodbye. The Potters bid farewell and headed back to number twelve Grimmauld Place. Lily was so tired when they arrived that upon reaching her room, she did nothing more than collapse on her bed and sleep. She was blissfully unaware that her brothers had been home for almost a week and of what they had done.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Breaking the News

Dawn the next morning saw the Potter sons seated around the kitchen table discussing their sister.

"I guess Lily was really tired after last night's party." This came from a young man who could only be described as his father's son. At 21, Laurence was almost an exact duplicate of his father from the top of his spiky, black hair to the tips of his trainers. Even their height, 6'2 ½", was the same. There were only three distinct differences between father and son. Laurence had his mother's blue eyes rather than his father's green ones, he lacked the scar that made his father famous, and didn't have dad's laugh lines. Laurence worked at Gringotts, the wizard bank.

"Let's hope she sleeps a little longer and wakes up on a good mood," added James. At 22, James resembled his uncles Fred and George. He was taller than most, lanky, and loved a good joke. He had his bright red hair cut so that it stood straight up in little spikes. Standing at only 6'1" he was the shortest as well as oldest of the Potter children. He worked with his uncles full time in their joke shop, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.

"Aw, but Lorrie, I thought you liked playing jokes on our baby sister," chimed in Aries.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Why the sudden change of heart?" asked Apollo, Aries' twin. The twins were twenty years old and stood at a gargantuan height of 6'4", which was matched only by their sister. Where Apollo had the light coloring of his mother, Aries had his father's darker looks. They both played professional Quidditch as Beaters for the Irish National Team.

"You forget she's of age now. When she wakes up and sees what we've done to her room, there won't be any way to keep her from hexing us to death," replied James. His brothers quit smiling at the thought.

"Hexing you to death about what?" asked Lily as she came into the room.

"I swear I had nothing to do with it. It's entirely their fault," said James quickly as he pointed to his brothers.

"Hey, it was all your idea," retorted Apollo.

"Yeah, you were the one who said we should redecorate her room," said Laurence, who knew very well what could happen when his sister got mad.

"You messed with her room? I am shocked and appalled," said Aries in a voice that was probably meant to be disbelief but ended up as slightly amused. "I can't believe you would do such a thing!"

"Oh, shut up you prat. You were the one who cast the first spell," said James.

"You were the ones who did that to my room? I never knew you could be so sweet. No girl has a right to be this lucky," she said as her eyes started to water. She hugged her brothers and crossed to the stove deciding she would make breakfast for everyone. She was too busy to notice the worried glances that were exchanged.

"Lily, would you excuse us for a second? We need to check on something," said Aries. The four got up and started filing out of the kitchen.

"If Mum and Dad are awake, can you tell them I need to talk to them?" she asked. When they nodded, she went back to working on breakfast.

"Does she seem odd to you?" Laurence asked his brothers once they were out of earshot.

"It's like she's worried or sad about something," said Apollo.

"How much do you want to bet it has something to do with that arse Aaron," asked Aries.

"I don't know, but whatever is going on with her gives me a bad feeling," said James. His brothers nodded that they felt it too.

When they reached their sister's room on the third floor, they expected to find the room and all of its contents pink, the color Lily hated most. Instead, the room was a million different shades of blue. The four men were so taken aback that they didn't hear their father walk up behind them.

"Why are we all standing out in the hallway?" asked Harry.

"Because yesterday this room was pink. But when Lily thanked us for what we'd done, we had to investigate. So, now here we are standing in the hallway discussing a room that was pink yesterday before the party, but is blue today," answered Laurence matter-of-factly.

"Oh, is that all? Well then, do you mind moving so a guy can use the loo?" Harry asked.

The four shifted so that their father could pass.

"Lily said she needs to talk to you and Mum," said James.

"About what I wonder?"

"No idea. She just asked us to tell you if you were awake."

"Now that you've done it, why don't you go back downstairs before she finds you and kills you?"

The guys took their father's advice and went back downstairs. What they found, once again, served only to confuse them. Lily had cooked a veritable feast for breakfast and had been sure to include each person's favorites.

"What are you up to little sister?" asked Aries

"Why would I be up to something?"

"You hugged us earlier and now you've made breakfast. The only explanations are you're up to something, you want something, or you're an imposter. An imposter wouldn't make it through the door due to the anti-cloaking charms and you're too proud to ask for anything. That only leaves you being up to something. Now, spill it!"

"Can't I just want to be nice for once?"

"No," her brothers answered in unison.

"Well then I'll just take my breakfast outside and think of ways to get back at you since I'm so horrible," she said on the verge of tears again. She quickly picked up a small plate holding a single piece of toast and walked outside, closing the back door quietly.

"Something is definitely wrong here. She hugs us, makes breakfast, and shuts a door without slamming it," said Laurence breaking a sudden and uncomfortable silence. "I think she's ill."

"That's got to be it. Did you see what she called breakfast? A single, un-enhanced piece of toast, when you know as well as I do that she could out eat us all," said Apollo, "and what about those tears? We've never made her cry before."

The brothers all stared at their feet, ashamed of how horrible they must have been and not wanting to even think about what their sister must be going through since it made her cry.

"Where did all this come from?" asked Ginny as she and Harry entered the kitchen.

"Don't look at us! Lily made all of it. You know we're hopeless in the kitchen except when it comes to eating," said James.

"That I do. Is she not joining us?"

"I think we hurt her feelings, so she took a piece of toast and said she'd eat in the garden," Aries answered his mother.

"Well since that's the case, you four will clean up the kitchen and wash the dishes, without magic, after breakfast. Don't even think about making excuses and running off. I know for a fact that all four of you are on vacation this week," said Ginny, in a voice that meant she didn't want to hear any arguments.

"Yes, Mum," her sons replied and sat down to eat their breakfast.

…

Outside in the garden, Lily sat in the wide porch swing staring at an amulet that hung around her neck. It was a silver ring, about the size of an egg, with words and symbols engraved in it. In the center was a ruby with the Gryffindor crest etched into it.

"La chiave al futuro si trova negli atti del passato," she read.

"It's Italian meaning 'The key to the future lies in the past'."

Startled, Lily looked up to see her father standing beside her.

"Your mother thought it might be easier if we talked and I passed the important stuff along later," he said as he sat down beside her on the swing. "What did you want to talk about?"

"You know how I've been getting a lot of job offers lately? Well, I've finally decided what I want to do. I've already sent in my acceptance so there's no backing out."

"You're worried that your mother and I won't approve aren't you?"

"Yes."

"I don't guess it really matters what we think as long as you believe it the right choice. Why don't you tell me and we go from there?"

"Okay. I've chosen to take a job as an intelligence operative for the International Confederation of Wizards."

"Meaning you'll be working as a spy for the Ministry, right?"

"Actually, the Ministry is more about Muggle-Wizard relations while the I.C.W. is about relations between wizards and protecting the Wizarding world from utter destruction by discovery and dark magic."

"Are you absolutely sure that this is the right choice?"

"I've never been surer about anything in my life, Daddy."

"Then I wish you the best of luck and I hope you know that no matter what, your Mum and I support you."

"Thank you Daddy," she said as she hugged him.

"I'll tell your mother later."

"There's something else…"

"You know that you can always tell me anything."

"Well it's actually a couple of things. The first is that I have to leave for training in two weeks and I won't be able to contact anyone on the outside for two years. The other I want to tell you and Mum at the same time, so it can wait."

"This last bit is really why you're worried, isn't it?"

"More like the large number of trainees who never make it past basic due to casualties."

"I see your point."

"So you're not mad?"

"Of course I'm mad. I can't believe you'd think we wouldn't stand behind your choice no matter what it was."

They sat in silence for a few minutes just watching the clouds roll by.

"Dad?"

"Yeah, Lily?"

"Thanks," she said as she hugged him again.

"Anytime. You know your Mum's got your brothers scrubbing the kitchen because they said they hurt your feelings?"

"Well it serves them right. They did hurt my feelings…Want to go watch?"

"You bet. It's going to be hilarious."

The two got up and went inside to watch the foursome struggle to get the kitchen clean enough to pass their mother's meticulous standards. Breaking the news to Ginny could wait, because they would all need a little laughter to make it through Lily's next bombshell. He knew his daughter well and could read her emotions as if she were shouting them from the top of Big Ben. Whatever she'd already told him would seem like a walk in the park compared to what still remained to be said.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The Ministry and the Prophecy

The day passed in peace and quiet. Well, as peaceful and quiet as it could be with all five children home. After having to scrub the kitchen, the four boys were careful of making a mess and what they said within earshot of their sister.

After lunch, Harry and Ginny disappeared upstairs. All five children shared matching grins over what they were pretty sure was happening. It was only about ten minutes later, however, when Harry came back downstairs with a large wet spot on his left shoulder.

"Lily, can you come upstairs please?" asked Harry. The boys, who had been playing Exploding Snap, looked up to see their sister nod, get up from the couch where she'd been reading the latest issue of The Daily Prophet, and follow their father back upstairs.

"Think it has anything to do with what she and Dad were talking about in the garden?" asked Aries.

"Whatever it is, it's got Mum upset," replied Laurence.

"If it's something we need to know, they'll tell us," said James.

"Yeah, but not knowing is driving me crazy," said Apollo. "Want to go try and listen in on them?"

"It's been charmed so we can't," said Laurence without looking up from his cards.

"How would you know?" asked Apollo.

"Mum and Dad always charm their room when they talk to us individually."

"You guys always knew what they said to Aries and me."

"They'd already had the exact same talks with us," Laurence said, finally looking up from his cards. "Don't tell me you actually thought you were the only ones with hormones?"

At Apollo's blush, his older brothers started laughing.

"Wait, what about Lily? I don't remember her ever having a talk with Mum and Dad," said Aries.

"Aunt Hermione took care of it because Mum couldn't stop crying long enough."

"Can we stop discussing Lily and hormones at the same time? I like pretending she doesn't know about the birds and the bees," said James with a frown.

"But she's engaged to be married," Apollo said, his grin stretching from ear to ear. "Surely you must have noticed with the way she was practically floating Christmas before last and then this year she stayed at school over the holidays."

"Actually, Aaron broke it off at the end of last year," said Laurence. Lily had always confided in him some of her inner most secrets.

"How do you know?" asked Aries.

"Call it gut instinct, if you will." He was not about to tell them that Lily had told him. "How about we get back to the game while the cards are being so nice?"

No sooner had the words left his mouth when the cards exploded.

…

While her brothers, unbeknownst to Lily, were discussing her, she was working up the courage to tell her parents about her visit to the Ministry the year before.

"You have to promise not to get mad or interrupt," Lily said to her parents.

"Lily," her father said in a warning voice.

"Promise me!"

"We promise dear. Now go ahead and say whatever it is you have to say," said her mother.

Lily looked at her father. When he nodded, she took a deep breath and began her story.

"I had already started getting job offers when I got a letter from Minister Scrimgeour's office. He was offering me a job as a Ministry Liaison to Bulgaria and was 'requesting' my presence at the Ministry the following day to discuss it. The letter also said that I could bring others with me if I wanted. All I had to do was give their names to Professor McGonagall. Clayton and Andrew had detention with Professor Sprout for nicking Bubbotubers so Aaron went with me. I really didn't want to go by myself.

When we got there, the Minister was waiting for us with a pale man named Boris Segur, one of the Assistants to the Bulgarian Ministry. I had such a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach that I wanted to go ahead and decline the offer and get out of there as soon as possible. Aaron must have sensed my uneasiness because he took my hand and smiled at me. Every time I opened my mouth to try and decline either the Minister or Mr. Segur would say something and go on about another topic. I finally got tired of it and interrupted saying thank you for the offer, but that it really wasn't the job for me. That's when Mr. Segur actually looked at me. He asked how I could possibly know until I had talked to some of the people in the Liaison Office. I told him that it didn't feel right. He just smiled and turned back to the Minister.

I could tell right then I wanted nothing to do with this man. The way he smiled froze me to the bone. His teeth were unnaturally white and pointed and his eyes were glowing red.

We had been walking up to this point and now we stopped in front of a large blue door. We went inside and I got to talk to several people from different countries about their jobs and how much fun it was to go to a different country and meet new people. We had been there almost an hour when Uncle Percy came in to tell the Minister that someone was there to see him."

"How did he look? Percy…how did he look when you saw him?" asked Ginny.

"He looked tired and sad, a little thin and really worn down. To be honest, I think he was ill…He asked about you too. I told him you were well and happy. He smiled at that."

Her mother smiled. "Go ahead and finish what you were saying."

Lily took another deep breath and continued her story.

"The Minister excused himself and said that Mr. Segur would answer any questions and show us out when we were finished. I talked to the last couple of people in the office and we left.

I didn't pay any attention to where we were going until Aaron said something. Segur turned and said that we should have gone far enough. He flicked his wand and bound Aaron with ropes, and then he turned to me and said 'Show me your power Keara.' I told him I didn't know what he was taking about, but he just laughed and tightened the ropes around Aaron. 'Show me your true power or the boy will be crushed,' he said.

I could hear the ropes tightening and suddenly I felt this…force flow through me. I reached out a hand towards Segur and his wand flew out of his grasp straight into mine. I looked at Aaron and the ropes vanished. When I turned back to Segur, he started screaming in pain.

I must have fainted because the next thing I knew I was in the hospital wing and two days had passed since the incident. Madam Pomfrey released me once she was sure I was all right. I went right away to find Aaron and ask him what had happened because I wanted to know what been done to Segur. I found him in the library working. I walked over to him and tapped him on the shoulder. When he looked up, I saw him flinch.

He said, 'The engagement is off,' just as calm as you please.

When I tried to ask him why he said, 'Stay away from me you freak,' got up, and walked away. He spent the rest of last year and all of this one avoiding me or making jokes about how horrible I was. He even started a rumor that the only reason I got good grades was because I bribed the professors. No one believed it but it still hurt. I tried to return his ring twice but he sent the notes back unopened. I've only told Clay, Andrew, and now you two what happened. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. Will you forgive me?"

"Why would you even need to ask such a thing? Of course we forgive you for not telling us," said her mother as she pulled Lily into a fierce hug.

"Dad? You've been awfully quiet," said Lily after a few minutes.

"I'm trying to suppress the urge to kill that little ferret, Aaron, after the way he treated you."

"I would really appreciate that since I'm still in love with him."

"Are you sure?" he asked, looking Lily straight in the eyes. When she only returned his stare, he let out a large sigh. "You know your own heart better than I do. I guess I have no choice but to let him live."

"Thank you, Daddy."

"Harry, I think it's time we told her," said Ginny quietly to her husband.

"Yes, you're right." Harry, who had been standing by the door, crossed the room to sit on Lily's right, sandwiching her between her parents. "The day you were born, I got a letter from one of my old professors. She wrote about a vision she had when she met a man named Boris Segur, the very same man that you met. She wrote that she thought it odd to see something about a girl named Lily when talking to Segur. She said she just put it out of her mind and went about her business. When she found out we were expecting a girl, she wrote immediately. The vision she saw was actually a prophecy. It said that the daughter of the Blood Traitor and the Chosen One would be the reincarnation of Keara, a powerful witch who went against the wishes of everyone she loved to stop an uprising of wizards who wanted to destroy all Muggles. In the end, she succeeded, but her family and the man she loved turned their backs on her calling Keara a traitor to her magical heritage. She was the first blood traitor. Today, all pureblood Wizarding families are connected by blood and marriage. The Weasleys are considered to be the greatest blood traitors to date because although they are purebloods, they embrace Muggles rather than detesting them and have been for centuries.

The prophecy also said that a successor would arise with the power to finish what was started in the uprising, power far greater than what Voldemort possessed. Only Keara's reincarnation would have the strength to stop him, but first she would have to give her heart freely and accept another's, also freely given, in return. Only then would she reach her full potential."

"Why am I only finding out about this now?" asked Lily.

"Because we never thought it was the right time to tell you about the battle in store for you," answered her father.

"We were only trying to do what we thought was best," added her mother, who was trying not to cry.

"That explains why going into the I.C.W seems like the right thing to do. I need to prepare all I can for what's coming," said Lily.

"Are you going to tell your brothers about going away," asked Harry.

"Yeah, but let's leave the other alone for now. I don't want to upset them anymore than I have too."

"Want me to come with you?"

"No, I can manage." Lily got up, gave her parents a reassuring smile, and went downstairs. She had barely shut the door when she heard her mother begin to cry.

As she walked down the stairs, she prepared herself as one might before facing a firing squad. She squared her shoulders and resigned herself to the inevitable.

At the bottom of the stairs, she cleared her throat to get their attention and nodded towards the kitchen before walking off and leaving them to follow. While she waited for them she made a pot of tea and poured herself a cup.

Once they were all gathered around the old, scarred table, she told her brothers about her decision and what details she thought they needed to know. When she was finished no one was smiling. Her brothers didn't ask questions; they just stared at her in varying stages of anger.

It was Laurence who broke the silence. "Good luck, be safe, and come home soon."

Lily smiled as her other brothers nodded their approval at the sentiment.

…

The days passed quickly for the Potters. The night before she was set to leave, the whole family gathered again and threw her a going away party. The next morning at eight o'clock, she reported to headquarters. They assigned her to a training squad and sent her and her new classmates, by Portkey, to what would become their home for the next few years.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Blood and Sweat

The air was dry and cool, but what else did you expect, standing in the middle of the desert at one o' two in the morning? _The time difference will take some getting used to_, Lily thought. To the Muggle eye, this grassless enclosure, with its orange dirt and sparse buildings, was nothing but a government cover-up, better known as Area 51. To the wizard's (or witch's) eye, this was a bustling, well lit, encampment of tents, buildings, and people. The Muggles had it right when they called it a cover-up, but who and what were not what they would expect.

Fort Mage, as it was truly named, was in reality one square mile of fenced in space within the confines of Area 51. Its main gate was in the far west corner of both the magical and Muggle compounds. The sign over the gate had originally read "Welcome to Fort Mage," but some bright person has scratched through Fort Mage and written Eternal Suffering in bright green.

As the seven newest trainees stood gazing at all the wizards and, significantly fewer, witches gathered here, a short bald man made his way towards them.

"You must be Omega Squad. I am Major Ghost and I will be your training instructor while you are here. If at any time you feel as though you do not have what it takes, please go to the bright yellow tent just inside this gate. For those of you who do make it through this training camp, you will go home as an officer for the I.C.W., or we can place you in a job more suited to your abilities, which you can refuse at any time. I have been asked to also tell you that should if you leave this camp at any time without permission, you will be considered a deserter and tried as such. You will also not be able to return to this camp. The gate has a charm on it that prevents anyone who is not supposed to be here from entering. By the time you leave here you will be so sick of my ugly mug; you'll want to hurl. As Omega Squad, each of you possesses an ability that is truly unique. You will, in the course of this training, gain control of your ability and respect for those of your classmates…"

"Excuse me, Sir," said someone from the back of the group.

Everyone turned to see who had spoken. He was tall, his skin fair, and his hair and eyes the color of dark chocolate.

"Arrivals sent me with this. There seems to have been a mix up with my paperwork," he said, giving Major Ghost a roll of parchment.

"So, they mess up and put you in the wrong training class and I'm supposed to drop everything and take you to your proper instructor? Well, that isn't going to happen. I'll take you after I've finished speaking to my own group."

The one who had brought the parchment stepped back and said, "Thank you, Sir."

"Now, where was I…oh, yes! You are not required to make friends within your squad, nor are you required to divulge any personal information…"

Lily turned her attention to the one who had brought the parchment. Something about his seemed familiar. As the man shifted his stance, Lily noticed he wore a silver armband engraved with Celtic runes. She recognized it almost instantly. It was the same band she had given Aaron for his birthday during fifth year. She had the band's mate in her trunk. Aaron had changed since the last time she had really looked at him, but it had to be him. Aaron was the only one who could wear the band she had had made. She sighed. It looked like she and Aaron would see each other after all. She only hoped that her heart would survive.

"Since you are an elite group, you will have little interaction, if any, with the rest of this camp. Now, if you'll follow me, I'll introduce you to Major Bane, where we will drop off the tag along and then show you where you will be housed."

The group moved farther inside the compound. They hadn't gone but about fifty feet when Major Ghost stopped beside a younger man, about thirty years old, who was of average height, had a blonde mustache and spiky crop of hair on his head. He had a medium build and friendly face. It looked as though he had been waiting on them to arrive.

"Omega Squad, this is Major Bane. He is in charge of Gamma Squad, a group that specializes in Muggle combat weapons and fighting. Bane, it seems that Arrivals misplaced one of your new pets." Aaron stepped forward and saluted his new instructor by placing his wand over his heart. Bane returned it, gave him a packet of papers, told him to fall in with the others, and thanked Ghost before walking away.

Once again the group began moving through the camp. They stopped only when they reached the eastern corner of the compound away from everyone and everything else.

Here stood ratty, yet slightly more permanent structures, rather than the tents used in the main area, in various shades of brown. The structure lightest in color, a light beige that resembled sawdust more than anything else, and also the largest was the latrines. Next came the Mess Hall; an ugly building the color of rotten apples and resonating a smell almost as pleasant. Major Ghost's quarters were located in a building barely large enough to house the room Lily had occupied at home, which was a small cramped space more befitting of a decent closet than a bedroom. It was the color of chocolate syrup and looked more run down than the Shrieking Shack. The last building was the barracks. The building was almost black in color and would have resembled and exceptionally small airplane hangar if it had been wider. The barracks also had what looked to be a small tool shed.

"Now, for a little bit of fun," said Ghost, holding out his hand in which there were now several little bits of paper. "On each of these bits of paper is written a word. The one you pick will be your name from now until you leave. Who's first?"

Lily stepped forward and picked one.

"What does it say?"

"Blue."

"Well, Blue, tell us something about yourself, true or false."

"I am the only girl in this generation of my family."

"Good, now who's next?" One by one the others stepped forward to choose a name and state a fact. "Half way through your time here, you will be given the chance to state whether you believe each statement made today is true or false. If you are correct, you will learn the real name of that person. Whoever collects the most names will win a prize that all of you will want. If you choose, you can make your guess before the halfway mark but keep in mind, you only have one chance to guess for each person, so use it wisely. Before I send you to your bunks to get everything settled, I have a few more announcements to make. First, you will not willingly or purposely inflict pain or damage to the others in this squad for any reason. Second, this is a top secret facility and to keep it as such, all correspondence in and out of this camp must be cleared through me and be of an urgent nature. Rule breaking is punished on a case-by-case basis. Break enough rules and the least that will happen is you will be kicked out. From this point forward, you will address me as Major Ghost or Sir unless instructed otherwise. Gentlemen to your barracks, Blue follow me."

As the other six moved towards the larger building, Major Ghost led Lily to the one that looked like a storage building. At the door he stopped.

"This is your room during your stay. You are the first female to get into Omega ever, that's why it's so small. You are serving as a test case for this program. Please keep in mind at all times that your behavior, successes, and failures will be used to determine whether this program goes co-ed. Only people you invite inside may enter. They must be invited each and every time. Special housing is the only difference in treatment you'll receive. You will be expected to participate in the same exercises and capacity as the others. There are papers for you to read over before you report to breakfast at 0600," and with that, he walked to the men's barracks and entered.

Lily walked inside her room and could only stare in horror. Every item in the space may have been a different shade than the last, but it was all pink. The room was bigger than it looked from the outside. It was a twelve-foot by twelve-foot square. Lily saw that she had been given a cot, a desk, a chair, a lamp, and a clock. On the desk there was a stack of papers. She glanced through them and saw that they contained schedules for the latrines, a table of time when certain things were to occur, a letter that stated the purpose of the Omega Program, and another letter that said if she had any special concerns to tell them to Major Ghost. The letters were both signed by "The Generals" whoever they were.

There was only one concern she could think of at the moment. She saw Major Ghost walking towards his own quarters and ran outside to talk to him.

"Sir, I have a problem," she said coming to a halt next to the Major.

"Already? This can't be good," he said looking slightly pained. "What is it?"

"My room is pink."

"Yeah. Girls like pink."

"Not this one. I detest the color. It gives me nightmares."

"I was told pink so you got pink."

"Can I change the color?"

"To what?"

Lily thought for a second and found the perfect answer.

"Blue?"

"Sure. Have fun."

"Thank you, Sir," she said as she saluted him the same way she had seen Aaron salute Major Bane. She turned around and walked back to her room.

…

When she emerged from her bunk the next morning at five o'clock for her scheduled shower time, Lily found two boxes outside her door. The first was about the size of a large hatbox while the second looked more like a shoebox. Both were wrapped in brown paper.

She picked them up and carried them with her other stuff to the showers. When she emerged from the lukewarm trickle of water twenty minutes later, she quickly dried and dressed before she took a closer look at the packages.

Lily examined first one box, then the other, in hopes of finding some sign of who sent them, but found nothing. Growing up around Fred and George had taught her to be wary about unmarked packages. She still had a scar on her left leg from the last unidentified package, which had contained a copy of _The Monster Book of Monsters_. The book had attacked her after she'd accidentally dropped it.

She placed the two boxes on the floor, took a few steps back, and used the _Diffindo_ Charm to carefully cut open the boxes. The larger one contained a brown outfit consisting of cargo pants and a t-shirt. The smaller box contained a pair of tall, black, leather boots that had a stubby heel and a sleeve in each shoe where you could keep your wand or a knife. There was also a note.

_Blue,___

_This is your uniform. Other sets will be placed in your quarters sometime during the day. You must be in uniform at all times.___

_-Ghost_

Lily checked her watch, 0525, she had five minutes before the guys were supposed to be coming in to take their showers. She gathered her belongings and went back to her room to change.

At six o'clock, Lily walked into the empty Mess Hall and sat down at a table to wait for the others. When she was still alone at 6:15, Lily walked outside to see Major Ghost pacing in front of a line of half-dressed, soaking wet guys.

"Did anyone here read the papers that were left for you?" asked Major Ghost. When they only looked at their feet, Ghost asked, "Is there anyone who thought that if someone took the time to leave you instructions, they might be important?"

At this, a short man, about 5'4" with jet black hair and an Australian accent spoke up. "Apparently Blue did."

"What makes you say that, Speedy?"

"Because she's watching us from over by the Mess, Sir."

Ghost spun around to look and found that Speedy was right. He motioned Lily over. When she reached him, Ghost asked, "Did you read the materials that were left for you?"

"Yes, Sir. I did."

"Why?"

"It's better to read the instructions beforehand and be prepared rather than assume something and be wrong, Sir."

"What were your instructions?"

"To make a note of the fact that my allotted times for private shower use are five to five-thirty in the mornings and nine to nine-thirty at night. Breakfast is from six to six-forty five; lunch is if and when you dismiss us for it and lasts only thirty minutes. Dinner is at six-thirty. Lights out is at eleven. All times are subject to your whim and can change without prior notification. Wandering the compound after hours is against regulations. Entering another person's space without permission is also against regulations. Any questions, comments, or concerns we have should be given to you, Sir."

"Nice job of summarizing. Let me state for the record, I don't like suck-ups. Brown-nosing will only hold you back. Do you understand?"

"Permission to speak freely, Sir?"

"Granted."

"I hate looking like a know-it-all, however, I refuse to do less than the best I can. I am here because I want to be, not because it will look good on a resume. I refuse to be polite to someone just because they hold some power or position greater than my own."

"That's quite the little sermon, Blue. Tell me what you consider to be your biggest flaw."

"I have more than one, Sir."

"The ones you feel cause the most problems for you then."

"I have an enlarged ego. I have spent years being one of the best and I know it. Pride. I am far too proud to ask for help or to accept it even when the outcome can mean serious consequences to myself and to others. Stubbornness. Once I set my mind, there is no changing it. My sentimentality can cloud my mind and cause me to choose incorrectly. I am loyal to a fault. Once I let someone in, they are in forever regardless of their choices or actions."

"Is that all?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Were you, by any chance, a Gryffindor at Hogwarts?"

"I would prefer not to answer that, Sir."

"Fine," Ghost turned back to the line of men. "It is now 0635. You have ten minutes to get dressed and grab some food before we begin drills. Dismissed!"

At the last word the guys took off towards their barracks while Lily and Ghost stayed where they were.

"Your civilian name sounded familiar. Can you tell me why?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Well, why?"

"My dad is Harry Potter, better known as 'The Chosen One', 'The Boy Who Lived', or 'The Champion'," Lily said dryly.

"That would explain it. I worked with the Order gathering information for Dumbledore and then for your father. I was even there when your dad took down Riddle."

"Maybe you could tell me what happened? Mum and Dad have told me a little, but there just has to be more."

"I'll make you a deal. If you beat the others in today's drills, I will write down what I remember."

"I'll do my best , Sir."

"Your mom wouldn't be Ginny Weasley, would she?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"I had a bit of a crush on her once upon a time, but she only had eyes for your dad. Once Potter set me straight on a few things, especially the fact that he would have no qualms about causing me great and permanent bodily harm should I even breath the wrong way in your mother's direction, I quickly got over it. Did Ron and Hermione ever stop fighting long enough to take their vows?"

"They managed to stop for a bit more than that. They are happily, if boisterously, married with four kids and a cat."

"Thank Merlin! Those two were so in love it was disgusting. If they'd gotten to know each other under different circumstances, they would probably just now be getting serious."

"Can I ask you a favor?"

"You can ask but I won't guarantee anything."

"Fair enough. Would you… I want to be treated like everyone else. Can you not go easy on me because of who my family is? I realize I've probably just insulted you, but I have to ask."

Ghost just laughed. "If anything, I'll expect more out of you than the others, not only because of your family but because of what you are destined for. The I.C.W. has been keeping track of you for your entire life, Blue. The Department of Mysteries is actually one of our departments. We've known since the prophecy was made, that you would be a great witch with abilities most can only dream of."

"Then why wasn't I contacted sooner?"

"The choices we make are what define us as people. To have approached you any sooner would have made it seem like it wasn't your choice."

"Clever. What if I had chosen differently?"

"It was a risk that had to be taken. How you choose to live your life cannot be controlled. The actions of others may play a part in you decisions but in the end, it is the choices and actions that we as individuals are responsible for that eventually form our destinies. A prophecy is only a glimpse of what can happen if certain things remain as they are." Ghost looked at his watch. "06:44. Guess I had better go and hurry them along. Put it out of your mind for now, Blue. It's far better to just live for today and let tomorrow take care of itself," said the major as he walked away.

…

It was midnight before Lily made it back to her room. She was so tired she could barely life her eyelids. Ghost had put them through enough test simulations—testing aim and reflexes—and a complete rundown of defense spells and uses so as to make the N.E.W.T.S she'd taken barely a month ago seem like simple first year homework assignments.

She had managed to hold up her end of the bargain with Major Ghost and best them all.

The first had dropped midday with heat stroke. Rocky had a large build. He was broad in the shoulder and chorded head to toe with muscle. His pale complexion and Slavic accent marked him as possibly a Durmstrang graduate, which could explain his gross intolerance to the heat.

Next had been Stilts. A short, stocky man with more attitude than aptitude, he had dropped around two due to sheer exhaustion. His accent couldn't be placed among the ones Lily had heard so she had a hard time trying to tell where he might have been from.

Quickly following Stilts had been Fez. Medium height and lanky, this brunette looked as though he would have been at home on the Quidditch pitch, but the fact that his reflexes were slower than a snail probably kept him off of one.

The Aussie, Speedy, had hung on until almost six when one of the Bludgers they were using for targets had sideswiped him. Canon, a Frenchman of slight build and standing about six feet, lived up to his name by the force behind the spells he cast, and Jabber had taken each other out with misaimed spells shortly after eight.

Blue had recognized Jabber immediately. He was solidly built, though not an ounce of fat showed. He had closely cropped, dark hair that showed off a tattoo of the Hufflepuff house crest on the back of his neck. This was Josh McKinnon, who had been the Hufflepuff Quidditch captain Lily's sixth year.

Lily had held out until eleven thirty, when she'd finally been nailed by a Bludger. She had set a new camp record at seventeen hours and fifteen minutes.

Now, as she lay on her bed, Lily was grateful that her dad taught defense at Hogwarts. What had once been a source of never ending embarrassment was now a source of pride. Had her teacher been anyone else, Lily was sure she would have been knocked unconscious hours earlier.

At five o'clock she was up again and at five-thirty, Lily emerged from the showers dressed and wide-awake. She ate her breakfast in silence, trying to ignore the looks of utter contempt from the men. At six forty-five, she was in line with the others waiting for Major Ghost to give them their orders for the day.

"We're going to try those defense drills again. Some of you were pathetic, some mediocre, and the rest I want to know if it was a fluke. Resume your positions and begin."

The day before they'd been assigned colors. Each person walked to the spot marked with their color. They were told that they were not allowed to move from that spot or attack any target that wasn't marked as theirs.

It seemed to Lily as if they were living the previous day over again. They fell almost the same way. Cannon and Jabber had been facing opposite directions, but had attacked another person's target and therefore were removed from the drill. More cautious this time, Lily had lasted until two thirty-six in the morning, changing the record to over nineteen hours.

The pattern continued for two weeks. Up before dawn and then drills until you dropped.

After fourteen days they had two days to rest before the cycle began again. After six months, Lily was at forty-eight hours straight, the guys were all able to go at least sixteen hours and the menacing looks had turned into harsh comments and complaint of "No fair!" The main argument was that Lily's targets had been charmed to be easier than the others. This complaint was quickly put to rest when Lily switched places with anyone who thought she had it easy. The men quickly learned that Lily's targets were, by far, the hardest ones.


End file.
